Thursday, October 22, 2009

I don't know how it happened. Everything, and I mean everything, has taken a back seat to knitting. I know that I have an addictive personality, but this is ridiculous. I have stopped doing everything else. All I do is knit, hang out at ravelry or knitpicks.http://www.ravelry.com/people/Lisaduzhair, http://www.knitpicks.com/Knitting.cfm.I have pushed aside cleaning, exercising, balancing the checkbook. It's like I totally hide from all of my respbosibilities by knitting one more row. It has gotten ridiculous. I need to find balance again. I just finished cleaning off the kitchen counter and I'm about to do my bookwork from my business. I am behind by three months. Crazy!!! I have gotten totally out of control with my fiber addiction.I have that obsessive streak to a fault. I want everything perfect. I will do that thing where I work on my project until 1:00am. If I make a mistake I can't function until it's ripped and re-knit correctly. My projects are getting better and better. I am turning out beautiful stuff, but at what expense. Everything else it seems.I've added a picture of my latest FO. I am very happy with it. I am now working on Ruby Redhttp://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall09/PATTrubyred.php from Knitty.com. I am adding bust darts. I will write about my adventures with that as I go.I hope that I can find some balance and re-prioritize my life. I love knitting and I love being a knitter, but I need balance again. Knitting shouldn't cause guilt.

Friday, January 16, 2009

The last couple of projects have all been about fitting me properly. I have a good sized chest, a small waist and some substantial hips. If I connect the bust to the hips with no shaping I might as well be wearing a garbage bag. So, my mission has been to figure out how to fit and to flatter.

I just finished Wicked by Zephyrstyle. I cast-on for a medium and did vertical bust darts and some waist shaping and wittled it down to an xs at the waist. It worked out very well. I love how it fits.

I am working on Green Gables also by Zephyrstyle right now. My Wicked is a little big at the top, so I cast-on for a small this time and added short-row shaping at the bust. ITR I couldn't figure out how to pick up the wrapped stitches on the second side. The first side was fine, it was like a short row heel of a sock, but after coming around the back and picking them up it was funky. I frogged back and tried again. It was better, but still funky. I took a crochet hook and at each wrap undid that row of stitches and made it flat and pulled the stitches back onto the needle. I know there is a better way. I've been reading blogs and posts on ravelry about Japanese short rows. That is the way to go ITR it looks like.

Friday, January 2, 2009

I haven't posted in such a long time. I have been knitting away. I am totally addicted to knitting socks. I am having so much fun and learning so much. They are so much fun to knit. I also knitted tams for all of the girls at work as well as my step mother. Sometimes knitting a handful of small projects can be quite satisfying. It makes me feel like I've accomplished something.

I made fair isle tams for the girls at work. They are so fun to knit. I used Noro silk garden with natural color Ella Rae. It gives them fabulous color and looks very complicated, when in reality it was pretty simple to do. I just had to throw with the color hand and pick with the natural undyed hand. Fun, Fun Fun!!

My mother-in-law bought me some fabulous hand-painted yarn for Christmas. It's a sweaters worth too. I am working on the "Hot Lava" cardigan by Jennifer Paulousky. It is a very clever design. All of my sock knitting has really helped work this sweater up. It is done magic loop, which is the only way I know how to work in a small diameter. I do all of my socks with magic loop. Anyway, it is a shrug where you pick up the stitches around the entire thing and add a bolero type front and back too it. It also has directions to accomodate a busty front. It is almost finished and I cast it on only a week ago. I will also have enough yarn left over to make a scarf and tam. I won't wear it altogether however because it would be total turquoise over load. Pictures are posted on Ravelry. I will post pictures when I finish on my next post.

I have joined the "Woolgirl Sock Club" this year, so I plan on doing more posting. I have also started my skating again, so I want to gab about that too. I want to talk about all of my endeavors in knitting this year along with the rest of my crazy world.